Jess was understandly still rather uneasy, the Aria wasn't exactly a standard unit by any means - it had been specifically designed for a genetically engineered line of pilots. However, Tarquin had a feeling that the unit itself wasn't the problem, he had given her a brief overview of the Aria and its subsystems but where she could actively engage wasn't as clear. It was difficult for him too, how one would be able to allow someone else into their logical processing felt almost beyond the young boy. He had been doing so much for himself for so long... did he know any different?
"Most pilots are only poorly capable of maintaining a conception of an entire battlefield... or a room, for that matter!"
Bruno had returned from the past to guide him forwards again. There was an element of regret to his realisation, it was somewhat tragic how he could only learn from his lessons long after he'd left. An extra pair of eyes and hands... and a brain would take pressure off him. There was only so long he could remain hyper-vigilant, Jess could allow him to maintain a more consistent performance.
"Jess, I am transferring generator regulation and thruster calibration to your terminal." Tarquin replied, inputting the commands into a nearby display. If they were going to work as a team, he would need to show that he trusted her. "The Aria is not designed for mobile combat, but I feel we can go beyond its specifications with some coordination."

"Gonna keep some of the goons away from the action. Leave it to me, Thorvald, I'm gonna show them somethin' fierce. Give that robot stealing hick another one for me!" Elaine replied, setting her sights on one of Praxis ahead of the Heion Riese. With everybody else caught up with the imminent threats of the enemy commanders, someone needed to clean up the grunts. It wasn't glamorous or exciting, but Elaine needed to play her part so they could all succeed.
"I got the final blow on Louise... can't be tryin' to take the spotlight just to make myself feel better." she muttered, easing the Oberon to the edge of the water. Fighting at sea wasn't really her cup of tea, she'd need the Oberon's engines to warm up properly before she could take to the air.
Elaine moves to 8,18 and attacks Sacarian #8 with her Dual Rifle!

Proof of Might
Lobos grinned, pleased with how Cass' group were engaging with his plans. "It will be a series of one on one fights. One of your own will face a member of my clan, the winner will go on to face the next foe. Then we shall continue until only one side remains." Lobos replied, casting his gaze upon Astaroth. "A bold claim, I'll be certain to make my first pick one suitable for the son of Abeloth. It shall both be a test of might and endurance, both will be required to gain the trust of the Medeina."
Lobos laughed, Ulfure was not visibly troubled by his father's savage schemes. "I intend to select my finest, Ulfure... remember that, my son." he added, looking over at Ulfure. "But for now, you shall be our guests. You have a great trial ahead of you tomorrow, I look forward to seeing your efforts. My men shall escort you to a tent for you to use, you are permitted to leave. Speak now if you must, there will be little time for questions tomorrow."

Having someone inside the Aria with him was somewhat unsettling for Tarquin. Previously he had managed every system himself, his entire attention dedicated to running each aspect of the Aria. Hopefully Jess would gradually familiarise herself with the unit, both for her own accomplishment and for the battle itself. He looked over at his co-pilot, almost to confirm to himself that she was actually still there. The assault against the Luna had sparked passion and fury across his allies, the betrayal of Avery only fuelling their emotions. His own specialisation was almost fitting, he wasn't at the heart of the conflict and was merely an observer at the periphery.
"Solch ein heftiger Angriff für einen einzelnen Feind? Ein seltsames, aber kein fremdes Konzept." Tarquin pondered, swiftly remembering that Jess was with him. Not only would he need to start explaining his thoughts, he would need to share his plans with her too."It is best we find a suitable firing point. The Aria is not equipped for marine warfare, we shall have to rely on its range to offer support."
Tarquin moves to 8,19 and holds!

It seemed that Tarquin had caught Jess by surprise, her expression and both posture were that of someone not expecting to be approached. Tarquin stood a couple of feet away from Jess, uncertain whether he needed to get closer or move away from her. Something was definitely bothering her, Tarquin could feel an uncomfortable aura coming from Jess. He didn't know her terribly well, but from what he did know, she had plenty to be disheartened about. Tarquin took a few steps forward, sitting down next to Jess.
"It's OK, you're allowed to feel like that. Nobody gets to decide how long feelings last, there's no rules about it." Tarquin assured, turning his head towards her. Jess was a good number of years older than him, someone that he barely even knew, but he couldn't leave her feeling so despondent.
He could feel her desire to contribute, to try and assist in any way she could, but also how painful the idea of putting herself at the front-line was.
"Come with me for this mission." Tarquin replied, looking back to the cafeteria door. "The Aria can accommodate a supporting pilot, that way you can contribute. If it becomes too difficult, I am fully capable of managing the entire system alone... you wouldn't be a burden."

Tarquin steadied himself against the wall as the ship shook, no doubt that some sort of combat was occurring outside the Heion Riese. With Avery's betrayal, he'd have to wait until the Aria was checked before embarking for himself - even a miscalibrated rifle would prove fatal in a bad situation. Some of the others were likely already out there, he would be able to join them once preparations were ready. He continued his journey towards the elevators, pausing at the cafeteria. It was an unusual area for him to be nostalgic about, but he'd bonded with the likes of Nikolai, Nina, Cheryl and Jess there. Back at the base, it had always been a place that reminded him how isolated he was.
"Jess?" Tarquin asked, spotting Jess slumped in one of the chairs. Something didn't seem quite right, but he couldn't put his finger on it. "I'm heading to the hangar to deploy... are you planning to remain here?"
The cafeteria was an unusual choice to be at the beginning of a battle, although she currently was't a combatant. Admittedly, being anywhere in the Heion Riese wouldn't guarantee safety during a battle, perhaps he was overthinking things?

Elaine could only stare with her mouth wide open as the Ceres and Crescent started to fight in the hangar itself. What on earth was happening, had Avery hijacked the Ceres for her own nefarious purposes. Her first instinct would have been to run to the Oberon, but Ignatius' warning about possible sabotage was enough to cool even her jets. She was still fuming, clenching her fists and gritting her teeth. Elaine had trusted Avery so much, they were both into mechanics and she felt that Avery really could have been relied on - yet another mistake in the list she'd made.
"Gonna check the Oberon myself, ain't got time to wait about." Elaine fumed, storming over to her machine and slipping in alongside the engineering team to help make the checks. She furiously tapped a message into her communicator, Astin wasn't going to be happy knowing their robot had been stolen. Elaine would have been furious if the Oberon had been taken, but Astin would be less likely to freak out about it than her.
"Yo, Astin. That traitorous bitch Avery jacked your bot, gonna deck her right in the face for you when I can."

"I'll fucking kill her! That hillbilly backstabbin' cow! How is she the mole, it doesn't even make sense!" Elaine shouted, taking only seconds to react to the announcement. She'd taken a tactical bathroom break during the lull, but the news was enough for her to storm out of the bathroom, shaking her freshly washed hands - even Elaine wasn't too short-tempered to forget basic hygiene! She was practically running to the hangar, both in response to the orders and the desire to deck Avery in the face if she got a chance.
Avery was nowhere to be seen in the hangar, but her bewildered comrades were telling enough. "What the fuck happened? I swear to god, I'll kill that redneck wrench monkey." Elaine barked, clenching her fists. She could see Aliza and Vvi, but she was none the wiser about what had actually happened.

Tarquin had given the simulators a final spin before the mission. He was unfamiliar with combat in frozen conditions, he needed to give himself some basis to work on. "Einhundert Prozent. Ich hoffe, der erste Schuss, den ich vermisse, wird kein wichtiger sein." Tarquin mused, sitting back in his seat. "Oder wird es ein direkter Treffer sein, den ich bereue?"
The calm before the storm had come to an end prematurely, they were on full alert without the battle having eve started. Avery? Tarquin wouldn't have expected her to have been hostile, especially after their exchange whilst repairing Hannah. Not that he would have expected himself to have noticed, his familiarity with both Avery and social behaviour as a whole was so lacking he couldn't have possibly spotted any signs. That was one mole outed at least, the remaining ones could easily still be in hiding. Considering how little he suspected Avery, almost anyone was a candidate as the last one. Becoming paranoid of everyone around him wouldn't solve anything, they would simply have to react when the time came.
Standing up, Tarquin knew it was time to get moving. With how urgent their orders were, the crew would have to wait to process Avery's betrayal. Tapping his communicator, he sent Nikolai a brief message.
"Es ist Zeit für mich, meinen Freund einzusetzen. Ich werde lebend zurückkommen, das verspreche ich."

Bill nodded, smiling as he started to push Nikolai's chair forwards. "I'm sure the good doctor won't mind me taking her patient out for a spin like an ambo." he laughed, taking Nikolai out of the medbay. He seemed to be stable enough and it was far safer than letting him drag himself across the floor. The duo left the medbay, the chair slowly cruising down the corridor. Nikolai was usually fairly filthy, but his pickling had at least masked his odour.
"You're a grotty little bugger, Nikolai, but you're not a bad kid. I think the ankle biter needed someone like you, always by himself before you turned up." Bill commented, ensuring that he took the upcoming corner carefully. "Looks like he did you some good too. I remember seeing you when you came in, right little riot you were."

Claire moves to 16,12!
"You... you remind me of Him."
Claire attacks Apellon with Blizzard!
24 Atk, 82% Hit, 15% Crit
(20 6)
Claire freezes Apellon solid!!
Claire gains 50 XP!
Claire gains 2 Tome WEXP!
Apellon was quickly encased in ice, the depraved swordsman frozen in position and glued to the deck. Whether or not he were living was a good question, there were no signs of movement or struggle within his frosty tomb. Nelon watched him nervously, somewhat unsettled by the proclamation that he had made before freezing. "Prince Owen, both twins have been vanquished but I feel that the pirates are unlikely to cease." Nelon informed, his eyes darting to Claire intermittently. "The winds are beginning to grow stronger, it is best that we end this skirmish promptly."

Bill could tell from Nikolai's expression that he was somewhat puzzled. It was understandable considering what he had been through - he had been blown to pieces and then pickled like a gherkin in a jar. There were going to be questions that he needed answered, and Bill wasn't certain that he was the one who could provide the answers. He stood there, letting Nikolai gather his bearings as he asked his questions. Bill nodded sympathetically, it made enough sense. The poor boy's ears were so full of vinegar that his hearing had gone - Bill wasn't quite able to convey the message he wanted to across.
"Chin up, tyke. I know what will sort you out, you'll feel better than a dero with a belly full of amber." he replied, stepping behind the chair and taking hold of the handles. He'd seen this boy associate with one of the other children. As bizarre as it seemed, there was some sort of kinship between the filthy gnome child and the clinically pristine Tarquin. It was a mystery how their dynamic worked, nearly as much so as a parent was allowed to call their child Tarquin in this day and age. "Think I saw your friend near the hangar, mind if I wheel you over to him so he can give you the low down?"

The week had passed quickly, perhaps too much so, for Tarquin. Between checking on Nikolai, keeping an eye on Nina and training for their upcoming mission there had been little time for much else. When was the last time he'd sat down to read? It was hard to remember, maybe he had shown Nina one of his books at some point, but that probably didn't count. In fact, when was the last time he had spent a prolonged period of time alone? Life certainly had gotten busier from him recently, he was almost a little fatigued from all the commotion - but he needed to continue onwards. He'd spent the last few days making his own adjustments to the Aria's
He looked down from the Aria's cockpit, the crew on the ground seemed so small from where he was. He wrapped Nikolai's poncho around himself, making a note that he'd return it to his friend... eventually. Even their insane janitor's attempts to clean it had been unsuccessful, there was still a hint of Nikolai's... smell to it. Letting Nikolai join him in the Aria was out of the question, and the Umbra had been totalled, this was the closest that he would get.
"Wir sind sehr klein, aber sehr fähig für große Dinge." Tarquin remarked, watching as Kazue hurried towards the Crescent. "Hawking, wenn ich richtig glaube."
It wasn't long before he spotted Nina, he couldn't help but feel slightly uncomfortable with her in the hangar. She was just there to look, right? Admittedly she had been designed for combat, but he was rather against the idea of her partaking in it any time soon.
-
Electricity ran down Bill's spine, causing him to pause suddenly in the hallway. He had already completed his morning round with exactly twenty minutes to spare, but a new threat was looming. His instincts were set on sending him to the medical bay, his legs had already started to move. Was there a mess that he had missed? Unless it had occurred within the last half hour it was unlikely, but the war against grime was a never-ending battle. His mop in hand, Bill marched through the medical bay, halting in front of the freshly opened healing tank... and the fluid trailed along the floor.
He wasn't alone, slightly less horrifying than the wet floor was the legless child sitting in the chair next to it. It took Bill a few moments to recognise the boy, but his identity was certain. The Prince of Grime, the Master of Mess... it was him. However, Bill couldn't manage the task at hand without addressing the elephant in the room. The boy had likely just emerged from the tank, like a slightly pungent butterfly from its cocoon. He recalled seeing him in the tank earlier in the week, had he really healed that quickly?
"Can't have you chundering over the floor, you little rascal." Bill laughed, somewhat certain that Nikolai was willing to follow through with the threat. "It'd be making a blue if I ever saw one, but can't blame you... you've been in that pod like a swagman on his Matilda. Can't really say that much, an ocker like me doesn't get to hear the yabber from up top. All I know is we're heading up north. Mind you, probably a lot more going on than that, but I can wheel you to someone with a little more noggin if you like."

Be Prepared
"Interesting, so very interesting. So the continent know not of the Medeina... perhaps they know not the names of the other tribes. Our knowledge of Raewald and Wyke only extends to the best locations to plunder, I can't imagine that people would care to differentiate between so called savages." Lobos muttered, grinning intently as he marvelled at Alain's claims of power. His eyes drifted to Cass, her claims perhaps even bolder than Alain's own. Lobos gave a hearty laugh, leaning forwards from his throne.
"Power is not just the strength of individuals, it's about the collection of might. If Malaphar were all powerful, then he would not need to try and win my favour through his pawn." Lobos replied, Cass' suggestion intriguing him further. "Testing your claim would be an entertaining exercise, as well as showing me proof of your resolve. I shall take up your offer, five of your own shall face five of my men. You shall face them tomorrow. Be warned, I will not take kindly to a lacklustre performance... The Asarai... I thought your attire was familiar, young Astaroth."
Aurelio shrugged his shoulders, leaving Astaroth to deal with Lobos, there was little more that he needed to, or could, say.
"Your father and I have clashed on several occasions. I cannot say that I would call him a friend, but his voice is one I would take seriously." Lobos replied, crossing his arms defiantly. "The Asarai are a force that need to be taken into account. Tell me, young Astaroth, where do the loyalties of the Asarai lie?"